Titanic sinking remembered 100 years on in Belfast

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is being marked in Belfast, where the doomed ship was built.

Passengers take part in a memorial service on board the MS Balmoral Titanic (Picture: AP)

A memorial to the 1,514 passengers and crew members who died when the passenger liner sunk on April 15 1912 after striking an iceberg in the north Atlantic is also being unveiled, while thousands attended a service at Belfast’s city hall.

Two weeks ago a £97 million visitor centre opened at the Harland and Wolff shipyard where the Titanic was built, while the Titanic Memorial Garden was recently completed in nearby Belfast city centre.

The memorial features the names of the dead engraved in alphabetical order on five bronze plaques, marking the first time all the victims, from all classes and including the crew, are recognised in one memorial.

An MS Balmoral crew member throws a wreath overboard during a memorial service (Picture: AP)

‘The focus of the world is on Belfast and we are doing her proud,’ said Una Reilly, head of the Belfast Titanic Society.

‘We are all proud of this ship. What happened was a disaster, she was not.’

A service was held last night on the cruise ship retracing the route of the ill-fated Titanic when it reached the spot where the ship sank on its maiden voyage.

Passengers reflect on board the MS Balmoral after the memorial service for the victims of the Titanic disaster (Picture: AP)

At least 50 of the 1,309 passengers on board the MS Balmoral, which left Southampton last week for a 12-night commemorative cruise, have a direct family connection to the sinking.

Passengers and crew listened in silence as the names of those who died were read out before a memorial service was held.

Patricia Watts, 81, a retired teacher from Bristol travelling with her husband David, 80, said she would be remembering her grandfather George MacKie, from Southampton, who was a second-class steward on board the Titanic when he died aged 34.

A Requiem service held at St Anne’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Belfast last night (Picture: PA)

‘When we get to the wreck site there will be some sadness, but I think also some sense of release,’ she said.

‘I shall feel a sense of accomplishment that I have achieved what I set out to do. I think the service will be a very memorable occasion, slightly sad, but also for a lot of people it will be the event of the cruise.’

Last night also in Belfast meanwhile a Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic was played at St Anne’s Church of Ireland Cathedral.